Eyelet-delivering mechanism for eyeleting-machines



(No Model.)

H H BUPFUM EYELET DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR EYELETING MAGHINES.

Patented Dec. 7,1897.

Nita

UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT H. BUFFUM, OF ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

EYELET-DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR EYELET|NG-MACH|NES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,040, dated December 7, 1897. Application filed May 10,1897. Serial No. 635,935. (No model.)

To LtZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. BUFFUM, of Abington, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyelet-Delivering Mechanism for Eyeleting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to eyelet-delivering mechanism comprising an inclined chute or raceway adapted to guide a procession of eyelets to the devices which insert and set the same and a reservoir at the upper end of the raceway adapted to supply the raceway with eyelets. There are several sizes and styles of eyelets upon the market, some having very thin edges or flanges, while others, particularly the so-called fast-color eyelets, have comparatively thick and bulky flanges. Moreover, the sizes of the tubular portions or bodies of eyelets vary considerably in diameter. 1

My invention has for its object to provide an improved construction whereby a single raceway and its reservoir may be used for de livering various sizes and styles of eyelets; and to this end the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, Figure 1 represents an edge view of a eyelet-delivering device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4c repre sents a View similar to the upper portion of Fig. l, the upper end of the raceway being removed to show the eyelet-releasing comb. Fig. 5 represents a sectional view of said comb on the plane of line 5 5 of Fig. 4, the comb being removed from the eyelet-reservoir. Fig. 6 represents a top view of the comb. Fig. 7 represents a top View of the lower end of the raceway, the connecting screws and pins being removed. Fig. 8 represents a top View of a portion of the base-plate of the raceway, the edge-guides being removed. Fig. 9 represents in different views portions of the sections of one of the edge-guides. Figs. 10 to 15, inclusive, represent transverse sections of the raceway, showing different adj ustments. Fig. 16 represents a plan view of an elliptical eyelet. Fig. 17 represents a sectional view showing the form of comb-shaped plate which is employed in connection with elliptical eyelets.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (t represents an inclined base-plate which forms the bottom of the eyelet-channel and is widened or enlarged at its upper end to form the bottom of the eyelet-reservoir b.

c 0 represent the guides which form the side walls of the eyelet-guiding channel and are supported by the base-plate a. The said guides are adjustably secured to the baseplate, so that they may be adjusted toward or from each other to vary the width of the eyelet-guiding channel. To provide for the ready and accurate adjustment of the guides c c at any desired distance apart, I provide the baseplate a with orifices arranged in groups, each group comprising a series of pairs of orifices 1 1, 2 2, &c., as shown in Fig. 8. The orifices of each pair are differently spaced, the orifices 1 1 being farther apart than the orifices 2 2, while the spaces between the orifices 3 3 and 4t 4 diifer from each other and from the spaces between the orifices 1 1 and 2 2. Each edge-guide c is preferably composed of a series of layers or sections 5 6 7, said layers being independently adjustable. Each layer is provided with a series of orifices 8 8, corresponding in number to the orifices in the base plate. The said orifices 8 may be arranged in straight rows instead of irregularly like those in the base-plate, with the exception of the bottom layer or section 7, Where one of the orifices is offset from the line of the others, as indicated at the bottom of Fig. 9.

e 6 represent taper pins or studs which are adapted to pass simultaneously through coinciding orifices in the sections of the guides c and a corresponding orifice in the base-plate a, there being two or more of these pins for each guide 0. It will be seen that the space between the guides c c, and therefore the Width of the eyelet-guiding channel, will depend upon the distance between the orifices in the base-plate in which the pins e are inserted, said pins being arranged in pairs abreast of each other, each pair of pins being inserted in a pair of the orifices in the base plate. Thus when a pair of pins 6 e is in head or flange.

serted in the orifices 1 and 1 of thebase-plate the guides will be held farther apart than when the pins are inserted in the orifices 2 2, the width of the eyelet-channel being varied correspondingly. I thus provide for as many widths of channel as there are pairs of orifices in each group in the base-plate. By marking the upper surface of the outer layer of each guide 0 opposite the orifices 8 therein with a suitable character or symbol to indicate the style of eyelet that will be accommodated when the pins are in those orifices I am enabled to readily adjust the raceway to any size or style of eyelet desired.

As before stated, one of the orifices 8 in the inner section 7 of each guide is offset from the others, the object of this arrangement being to cause the said section to be adjusted outwardly farther than the other sections when the pins 6 e are placed in the said offset orifices, this adjustment being shown in Fig. 14. The cross-section of the guiding-channel is thus varied and the channel adapted to guide a fast-color eyelet having a thick and bulky If desired, the orifices in the sections of the guides may be arranged so that more than one section will be adjusted outwardly in the manner above described, as shown in Fig. 15, where I show the middle section 6 adjusted outwardly with the inner section 7, thus adapting the raceway for an eyelet head or flange of still greater thickness. It is obvious, however, that when the adjustment of the raceway to eyelets having heads or flanges of different thickness is not a desideratum the guides c 0 will require only provisions for varying the space between them to accommodate different diameters of eyelet-bodies, in which case each guide may be made in one single piece instead of being made of a series of layers or sections.

The guides c c are preferably additionally secured to the base-plate a by means of binding-screws f f, which pass through slots g g in said guides and are engaged with threaded orifices in the base-plate. Said screws are loosened prior to the adjustment of the guides, and when the desired adjustment has been effected and the pins 6 e inserted the screws are turned down to firmly secure the guides in their adjusted position. The screws and slots therefore constitute means independent of the adjusting devices for securing the guides in any position to which they may be adjusted. The guides are separated from the base-plate by means of washers '5 i, surrounding the binding-screws f.

The eyelet-reservoir is provided with a suitable brush or agitator j, Fig. 3, which is rotated or oscillated by means such as are usually employed in eyeleting-machines, said brush forcing the eyelets outwardly through a series of outlets formed by the spaces between the teeth 10 of a comb-shaped plate which is inserted in an opening formed for its reception in one side of the reservoir. The said outlets are formed to permit the escape into the guiding-channel of such eyelets as are presented by the brush in the proper positionthat is, with their heads or flanges resting upon the bottom of the reservoir. It is necessary that the said comb-shaped plate be formed to correspond with the particular size and style of eyelet being used by the machine, each size or style requiring a different comb-plate.

To enable a single reservoir to be used for all sizes and styles in connection with the adjustable raceway above described, I provide the reservoir with a side opening having at its ends dovetail guides m m. The ends of the comb-shaped plate is have corresponding guides or guide members on m, said guide members being formed to interlock with each other, so that a comb-plate can be slid into and out of its place in the wall of the reservoir when the latter is detached or unscrewed from the base-plate. A series of comb-plates will be provided, one for each size or style of eyelet, said plates being formed to be used interchangeably, so that whenever the raceway is adjusted the previously-used combplate will be removed and another substituted for it.

It will be seen that by the above-described construction I have provided a raceway and reservoir which can be used with a wide variety of sizes and styles of eyelets, the device being capable of adjustment with a very slight expenditure of time and labor.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction here described and shown and may vary the same without departure from the spirit of my invention.

In Fig. 17 I show the teeth k of the combshaped plate 70 having diagonal or oblique sides to form oblique outlets adapted to direct elliptical eyelets 0 into the guiding-channel. The width of the outlets between the comb-teeth corresponds to the narrowest diameters of the elliptical eyelets, and the oblique direction of the outlets is such that the eyelets are caused to move endwise into the channel with their advancing ends downward,

It is obvious that the orifices in the baseplate a may be arranged in straight rows, the pairs of orifices being uniformly spaced, and that the orifices in the guides or guide-sec tions may be irregularly arranged without departing from the spirit of my invention, the essential feature of which in this particular being such a variation between the arrangement of the orifices in the base-plate and the orifices in the guides that the guides will be adjusted as described by changing the positions of the pins.

The width of the opening 0 provided at the lower end of the base-platefor the reception of the spindle which removes the eyelets from the raceway may be adjusted by providing the base-plate with adjustable plates 0' o, the inner ends of which form the sides of said opening, said plates being movable toward and from each other.

IIU

I claim 1. An adjustable raceway comprising a base-plate forming the'bottom of a guidingchannel, guides on said base-plate forming the side walls of said channel and adjustable relatively to each other, and guide-adjusting means comprising orifices in the base-plate, orifices in the guides having a different arrangement from those in the base plate, whereby different orifices are caused to coincide by changes in the relative positions of the guides, and spacing pins or studs formed to enter the coinciding orifices.

2. An adjustable raceway comprising a base-plate forming the bottom of a guidingchannel, two adjustable guides forming the side walls of said channel, guide-adjusting devices comprising orifices in the base-plate, orifices in the guides having a different arrangement from those in the base-plate, and

spacing pins or studs formed to enter coinciding orifices in the guides and base-plate, and independent means for securing the guides in the different positions to which they may be adjusted.

3. An adjustable raceway comprising a base-plate forming the bottom of the guidingchannel, two guides forming the side walls of said channel and each composed of a plurality of independently adjustable sections, and means for adjusting the said sections to Vary the shape of the cross-section of said channel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of May, 3 5

A. D. 1897. v

HERBERT H. BUFFUM. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

